Lifestyle

8 Reasons Why S’poreans Shouldn’t Sleep with Air-con On Every Night

Annette Anthony

2018-04-06 , 3:10 pm

Last Updated on 2020-12-09 , 7:42 pm

The weather these days can be terribly unpredictable. On day one, it’s partly rainy and partly sunny.

Day two’s just the sun blazing its rays down at you.

And then there’s the day after these two, an overwhelming amount of rain that’s pouring out of the sky.

You’d be wondering why the weather is PMS-ing.

At the same time, despite all these weather fluctuations, you still sleep through the night with your air-con on.

If you happen to be one of those we’re talking about, it might be time to stop now.

Here are 8 things about sleeping with the air-con on throughout the night you wish you knew yesterday.

1. Thermoregulation

Yep, that surely sounds like a super cheem word.

But here’s what it really means. You step out of a nice and super cold room immediately into the warm environment.

This can be horribly damaging to your person because our body, in general, are not made to adjust quickly from a huge temperature gap.

Yup, like Katy Perry’s Hot & Cold.

The effect it has on you? Fatigue and even skin damage too!

2. There’s A Certain Dryness To Deal With

In case you haven’t noticed this yet, air-conditioners suck up all the moisture in the room while they work.

Sometimes you wake up through the night feeling thirsty, and go for a glass of water.

If left prolonged, you’ll start to see the effect on your skin too. It just feels super dry in the mornings.

3. Going Through Way Too Low Temperatures

If you’re constantly in a room with temperature that isn’t optimal for your body, you’ll start to experience joint pains and muscle aches.

Leave this alone for too long, and you might just have to deal with rheumatism. There are other issues too, like headaches and backaches.

Bummer, isn’t it now?

4. Your Beauty Sleep’s Quality is Affected

According to this piece by Science Daily, a Science Daily study shows correlation that the airflow that came out of an air conditioner does stimulate one’s body as they lie asleep.

And this will result in poor sleep quality, even if you’re comfortable AF.

The study also showed that a cold airflow had a much bigger impact on older people and ladies who had a heightened sensitivity towards cold, or a milder physical strength.

5. The Contamination Factor

Based on this article by the Huffington Post, a warning was issued by a board called the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

They even said that the chance of getting exposed to pollution within the air-conditioned room is higher than when you’re outside.

Why? Well, if you think about it, all the central AC’s doing for you is nothing other than circulating the same air, again and again.

So chances are, if there’s any form of dust, mold or even animal-based contamination (take animal dander, for instance), you’d have a higher likelihood of getting in touch with it and falling sick.

Sucks, right?

6. When Air-Conditioning = More Doctor Visits

Now, that’s a true bummer.

Sadly, findings from the International Journal of Epidemiology have shown that people who tend to spend more hours in AC-friendly environments sadly have a heightened need for healthcare.

The most common illnesses? ENT (ear, nose and throat) issues, derma-tied problems and not forgetting respiratory ones too.

7. Your Stunting Your Body’s Ability To Create Its Natural Hormones

This piece from Aircon Servicing SG mentioned that there are studies showing that low temperatures might cause your body to produce lesser natural hormones.

In case you’re not familiar, the best time for your body to to stimulate and create some pretty important hormones is when you’re asleep.

Some of the ones created at night are pretty important for your body’s overall immune health.

If you go to bed in a very cold bedroom, chances are that your body could potentially not produce enough of those hormones for your body’s immune system.

Now you know why sometimes after you’ve slept in a very cold room, you feel like you’re falling sick the moment you wake up!

8. Going Through A Never-Ending Fatigue Situation

If you’re one of those persons who’s in an air-conditioned environment during both the day and at night, you might suffer from missing out of good old fresh air.

It might not sound like too big a problem, but there’s some consequences.

Like what is commonly referred to as the sick-building syndrome. This is a phase where you’re always feeling tired and in perpetual fatigue. Doesn’t sound like much fun now, does it?

So, now that you know about the things that’ll happen to you, what can you do? Without giving up aircon for good.

Well, for starters, set your AC to work for a specific number of hours, and if possible, stick to the fan.

You’ll also want to keep yourself hydrated properly and get a good dose of Vitamin Sunshine. On top of that, ensure that you get your air-conditioner cleaned and serviced regularly.

You are, after all, thriving to keep yourself as fit as you can. Don’t sacrifice your body for the sake of a blanket-cuddle worthy temperature. And yes, it also saves your dollars on the monthly electricity bill. Plus you’d also be able to reduce the carbon footprint contribution, and keep the Earth in a better condition too.

So tonight, head home and do either one of these two. Go completely cold turkey and sleep sans AC, or if you’re dreading it, switch the timer on for about 3 to 4 hours, and don’t forget to keep the fan running on low too.

You wouldn’t want to wake up to a sweat, either!

Featured Image: Seasontime / Shutterstock.com